Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group
| type = Division | foundation = Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, U.S. | location = Culver City, California, U.S. | location_city = | location_country = | locations = | area_served = Worldwide | key_people = Tom Rothman | industry = Entertainment | products = Motion pictures | revenue = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = Sony Pictures Entertainment | divisions = | homepage = }} The Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group (commonly known as the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group and formerly known as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group until 2013 and abbreviated as SPMPG) is a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment to manage its motion picture operations. It was launched in 1998 by integrating businesses of Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. and TriStar Pictures, Inc."Sony Hitches TriStar to Col", Variety, March 31, 1998. History The Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group was launched in 1998 as the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, as a current division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, owned by Sony. It also has many of Sony Pictures's current motion picture divisions as part of it. Its divisions at that time were Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Triumph Films, Sony Pictures Classics, and Sony Pictures Releasing. On December 8, 1998, SPE resurrected its former animation and television division Screen Gems as a film division of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation."Los Angeles Times" Sony Forms New Movie Division articles.latimes.com December 8, 1998, Retrieved on 4 April 2016 In 2002, Columbia TriStar Television was renamed as Sony Pictures Television. The last three remaining companies, with the "Columbia TriStar" brand in its name, were Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, and Columbia TriStar Marketing Group. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment and Columbia TriStar Film Distributors became Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and Sony Pictures Releasing International in 2004 and 2005 and Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group became the second-to-last subsidiary of Sony Pictures Entertainment to use the "Columbia TriStar" brand name in its name. In 2013, TriStar Productions was launched, as a joint venture of Sony Pictures Entertainment and former 20th Century Fox chairman Thomas Rothman. In October 2013, Sony Pictures renamed its motion picture group as the "Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group". Sony Pictures Animation and Sony Pictures Imageworks were moved from Sony Pictures Digital to its motion picture group. On June 2, 2016, Doug Belgrad had announced he was to step down as president of the SPMPG and would transition his role to producer at the studio.Doug Belgrad exits as president of Sony Pictures' motion picture group latimes.com, Retrieved on June 3, 2016 Belgrad was promoted as president of the SPMPG back in 2014. Film divisions Production and distribution deals Sony Pictures Releasing | divisions = | website = www.sonypictures.com | location_country = United States }} Sony Pictures Releasing is an American film distributor owned by Sony. Established in 1994SONY PICTURES RELEASING CORPORATION businessprofiles.com, Retrieved on January 20, 2014 as a successor to Triumph Releasing Corporation, the company handles theatrical distribution, marketing and promotion for films produced and released by Sony Pictures Entertainment, including Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Stage 6 Films, Sony Pictures Animation, Triumph Films, among others. It is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. It also has an international division called Sony Pictures Releasing International, which from 1991 until 2005 was known as Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International. Financers *Village Roadshow Pictures (2001, 2014-2016)"Variety" Village Roadshow Inks Co-Finance Deal with Sony Pictures (EXCLUSIVE) variety.com, Retrieved on 3 April 2016 *Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (2011–2016) *LStar Capital and CitiBank (2014–2017) *Cross Creek Pictures (2015–present) Film series Highest-grossing films | |} References External links * Sony Pictures Movies Category:Columbia TriStar Category:Entertainment companies of the United States Category:Film distributors of the United States Category:Film production companies of the United States Category:Entertainment companies based in California Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment Category:Companies based in Culver City, California Category:Entertainment companies established in 1998 Category:Media companies established in 1998 Category:1998 establishments in California Category:Multinational companies Category:Sony subsidiaries